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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Author Archives: skullsinthestars
Fake Book Titles Extravaganza #3!
Time for another round of Fake Book Titles that I’ve done, compiled from twitter! You can see compilation 1 and compilation 2 at the links. These have proven to be a welcome distraction in stressful times. And, wow, I’ve done … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, Silliness
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About a cat flip video!
Okay, even though my book is now out in the world and I spent years working on it, I still manage to come across new things that surprise me about the problem of the falling cat! A good example of … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Physics
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A few more Falling Felines bits of news!
If you’re still not tired of Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics news, yesterday was a good day for new posts, which I thought I’d compile here, along with some earlier stuff I forgot to share! The Curiosity Daily Podcast interviewed … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science, Personal
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Falling Felines at BBC Science Focus!
In case you’re not tired yet of hearing about my book on Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, I wrote a post for BBC Science Focus Magazine about the falling cat phenomenon, which you can read here. A sample of the … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
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A decade of history of science!
I’ve picked up a significant number of new followers on the blog lately, and this combined with the wrap-up of the decade seems like a good time to share some of my favorite history of science posts of the past … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Personal, Physics
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Spoiler-filled The Rise of Skywalker thoughts…
Back from China and hoping to get some more blogging done! After some 24 hours of non-stop travel, I got back on the 23rd and decided to stay awake as long as possible by going to see the final movie … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Personal, Science fiction
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A chat with H.G. Wells (1897)!
Now that Falling Felines is out, I’m doing research for my next popular science book, which I will talk more about soon! In the meantime, I will share interesting tidbits that I come across in my explorations, such as this … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Science fiction
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Meeting Darlene and playing Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm!
Life has had its ups and downs over the past few years, with a number of particularly painful downs. But every once in a while, something really lovely happens that reminds me that the world still has some surprises and … Continue reading
Posted in Entertainment, Fantasy fiction, Personal
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The Third Grave, by David Case
As a big fan of ancient Egypt, I am a sucker for horror novels based on ancient Egyptian mythology. So when I saw that Valancourt Books had reprinted David Case’s 1981 novel The Third Grave earlier this year, I knew … Continue reading
Posted in Horror
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Edweard Muybridge’s grand achievement (1873)
So, now that my book Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics is available for purchase, I’ve been answering questions for editors working on the translated editions that will appear. These questions led me back to doing a little historical research, and … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science
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Skulls in the Stars 